North Korea may have really outdone itself, not just by claiming it

North Korea may have really outdone itself, not just by claiming it has proof that unicorns exist—in North Korea, obviously—but with the quality of the proof.

From an article in Time:

The unicorn’s grave was rediscovered near a temple in the capital Pyongyang, with a rectangular rock engraved with the words ‘Unicorn Lair’ at its entrance, according to the report. The report did not elaborate on what further evidence of the royal unicorn’s existence was discovered.

And keep in mind, this isn’t any garden variety unicorn North Korea is talking about; it was the unicorn ridden by King Dongmyeong, who “lived” from 37 BC to 668 AD and is seen as the founder of the ancient Korean kingdom of Goguryeo. And before you ask, yes, that is the same King Dongmyeong who was born from an egg impregnated by sunlight, the very same that united the tribes and whose line ruled the Korean peninsula for seven centuries. So clearly, he had to ride a unicorn as well.

But Time also credits the story to politics:

Like most news reports from North Korea, even unicorns are used to underscore the legitimacy of the current regime. “The discovery proves that Pyongyang was a capital city of Ancient Korea as well as Koguryo (Goguryeo) Kingdom,” the report quoted Jo Hui Sung, director of the History Institute of the National Academy of Sciences, as saying.

Remember the other exaggerations?

When the country’s former dictator Kim Jong Il died in December 2011, it reported a rock carving glowing brightly and ice near his presumed birthplace to have cracked “so loud, it seemed to shake the Heavens and the Earth” in mourning of the Dear Leader. While he was alive, Kim reportedly invented the hamburger, wrote 1,500 books in three years while at university, and shot eleven holes-in-one the first time he played golf (a feat verified by his 17 bodyguards).

We’ll believe it when we see it!